EP1083727B1 - Sound pick-up and reproduction device - Google Patents

Description

The subject of the invention is a device for acquiring and restoring his deportee. The field of the invention is mobile telephony. However, the domain can be extended to all devices whose purpose is to carry a sound which, for various reasons, should only be heard by a single user. The object of the invention is to remove as much as possible the user of a mobile phone from the antenna of that mobile phone. In indeed, it emits relatively powerful radio waves high likely to interfere with the phone user's brain mobile. Another object of the invention is to allow the user of a mobile phone to keep use of both hands while using his mobile phone to receive or send a communication.

In the state of the art, we know the hands-free kits which allow you to follow a telephone conversation without holding his cell phone in one hand, or near his ear. One of the solutions adopted for the implementation of a hands-free kit, is to use a loudspeaker with amplified diffusion, and a microphone whose sensitivity has been increased. The problems with such a device are, on the one hand, dissemination atmospheric and amplified voice or sound information received. In indeed, everyone present near the mobile phone, using such a device, can hear the conversation. It may be practical at a conference, but perhaps inconvenient in the context of use in a car for example. Indeed, if the driver of the vehicle must receive a call, all passengers in this vehicle may follow the conversation and their activity will be disrupted.

On the other hand, it is an amplified listening. To get this result, we use a power amplifier which will consume more current than a standard amplifier used in normal mode. This will therefore reduce the autonomy of the mobile phone. This is embarrassing because the autonomy of the mobile phone is one of its main features. In addition, in a concern to maintain correct autonomy, the power amplifier will be dimensioned as accurately as possible. There is therefore a risk of saturation phenomena which will distort the sound emitted by the speaker. To excessive consumption and atmospheric diffusion, therefore come add to the distortion problems that affect the sound quality.

Finally, using a microphone with increased sensitivity, and more or less omnidirectional, makes the microphone take over counts all the surrounding noises. Thus a distant interlocutor will have to undergo, in addition to the conversation, all the noises surrounding the mobile phone in hands-free mode.

There are also known hands-free systems that come under the helmet shape, as described in documents WO 97/27721 A and EP-A-0 868 064 A. These helmets include earphones which come lodge near or in the ears, and a microphone that is presented in front of the user's mouth. Such systems are therefore very bulky and visible. Their use therefore does not go unnoticed, and is even impossible in some cases. Indeed, if we consider the case of the biker, by example a courier, who must be in frequent contact with his center command, he cannot use such a system and must therefore always take off your helmet to use your phone mobile. More discreet and more compact systems exist but they are then connected by a wire, either directly to the mobile phone, or to a device that allows them to connect to the mobile phone. This thread is visible, unattractive and constitutes an obstacle to the freedom of movement of the carrier. It can also be caught in any obstacle located on the passage of the carrier.

Another problem with existing mobile phones is the power, a priori excessive, radio signals emitted by their antenna. This power is considered excessive because the antenna is located near the brain of the user. It is therefore feared that in the more or less long term, the proximity of the antenna and the brain can lead to lesions of the latter. We knows solutions to overcome this possible problem. In particular that of move the mobile phone antenna to the bottom of the mobile phone. But the antenna is still too close.

The use of an existing hands-free kit overcomes this problem but presents the problems mentioned in the previous paragraph.

The invention solves these problems by establishing a radio link low power between the mobile phone and a device, a headset, placed close to the user's ear. The headset has all the means necessary to establish the connection with the telephone mobile, without the need to add any device. It is capable of transmitting to its wearer, and to him alone, the sounds received by the mobile phone, and to transmit the sounds emitted by the user. Reduced size, the headset can very well be worn under a helmet for example. The maximum distance between the headset and the mobile phone to which it is connected is 1.5 m. If we consider the laws of attenuation of electromagnetic waves during propagation in the air, the power, of electromagnetic waves, received by the brain of the user coming from the antenna of the mobile phone is therefore considerably reduced. The invention thus achieves its double objective move the antenna of the mobile phone away from the user's brain, and create a discreet hands-free kit both in appearance and in its use.

• et comportant des moyens pour émettre et recevoir de manière radioélectrique des données correspondant à des informations audibles,
• la branche étant maintenue entre le crâne et le pavillon d'une oreille,
• le bouchon d'oreille et la branche de maintien étant en liaison mécanique élastique,
• le bouchon comportant un haut-parleur caractérisé en ce que:
  • la branche comporte des moyens pour acquérir des signaux de voix propagés à travers une mastoïde de l'utilisateur,

la branche comporte un accéléromètre en liaison élastique avec la branche,
le bouchon d'oreille est placé dans le conduit auditif externe.The subject of the invention is therefore a headset device for acquiring and restoring deported sound, the device being autonomous and capable of being fixed to an ear of a user of the device, and comprising a holding branch and an ear plug.

• and comprising means for radio transmitting and receiving data corresponding to audible information,
• the branch being held between the skull and the pinna of one ear,
• the ear plug and the holding branch being in elastic mechanical connection,
• the plug comprising a loudspeaker characterized in that:
  • the branch comprises means for acquiring voice signals propagated through a mastoid of the user,

the branch comprises an accelerometer in elastic connection with the branch,
the ear plug is placed in the external ear canal.

• Figure 1 : une illustration d'un dispositif selon l'invention ;
• Figure 2 : une illustration des moyens de l'oreillette pour acquérir et restituer les sons ;
• Figure 3 : une illustration de l'intégration des moyens de l'oreillette ;
• Figure 4 : une illustration des moyens pour connecter un téléphone mobile à l'oreillette.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows and on examining the figures which accompany it. These are presented for information only and in no way limit the invention. The figures show:

• Figure 1: an illustration of a device according to the invention;
• Figure 2: an illustration of the means of the headset to acquire and restore sounds;
• Figure 3: an illustration of the integration of the means of the headset;
• Figure 4: an illustration of the means to connect a mobile phone to the headset.

Figure 1 shows a headset 101 according to the invention. Figure 1 also shows a mobile phone 102 connected to a device 103 by a 104 wired connection. In a variant, the means of the device 103 can be included in the telephone 102. The device 103 makes it possible to establish a 105 wireless connection with headset 101. Telephone 102 on the other hand is connected by a radio link 106 to a base station 107.

When in use, the headset 101 is attached to the ear of its user thanks to a branch 108 which is housed between the pinna and the user's skull. The branch is then both kept under pressure and reacting in its place. There is an elastic mechanical connection 109 between the branch 108 and an ear plug 110. In the case described, the plug 110 is housed inside the user's ear. One more end fine plug 110 is housed in the user's ear canal.

The branch 108 includes an accelerometer 112. When the atrium 101 is in place, the accelerometer 112 is in contact with a mastoid of the user. When the user speaks, it causes vibrations which are propagate among others in its cranial box and in the mastoid. The accelerometer 112 is able to pick up these vibrations. The accelerometer 112 is fixed to the branch 108 via an elastic link 113. The elastic link 113 makes it possible to decouple the vibrations received by the branch 108 of vibrations from the mastoid on which is positioned the accelerometer 112. For the same reason the elastic connection 109 was established between the branch 108 and the plug 110 so that any vibrations emitted by the plug 110 do not propagate in the branch 108. In effect the plug 110 includes a speaker 111 whose destination is to emit sounds in a user's ear canal. The sounds are waves. To avoid a feedback effect, you must decouple the speaker as much as possible 111 and the microphone 112. Thus, the only vibrations picked up by the accelerometer 112 are those from the mastoid and therefore due to the voice of the user. In practice, the connection 109 can be produced by a tube elastomer which allows bending and allows threads to pass between the plug 110 and branch 108.

An electrical connection is also established between branch 108 and the plug 110. This connection is not shown in FIG. 1. This connection allows not to duplicate the connection means between the headset 101 and the mobile phone 102. Indeed, the headset 101 has circuits for processing the data received either by the accelerometer 112 or by the mobile telephone 102. This data is then either transmitted to the telephone 102 is transmitted to speaker 111.

In another embodiment, the branch 108 is located on one ear of the user, while the plug 110 is located in the other ear of the same user. This allows to obtain a mechanical decoupling still larger between the branch 108 and the plug 110. However, it is necessary maintain an electrical connection between the branch 108 and the plug 110.

When using a 101 headset during a remote communication, telephone 102 is connected with a contact remote via base station 107 and link 106. Telephone 102 receives then information relating to the words spoken by the interlocutor remote. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the telephone 102 then transmits its information to device 103 via link 104. A device 103 puts then this information in form, in general it modulates it in the form of a radio wave, and transmits them to the headset 101. The headset 101 receives this information, i.e. the radio wave, and the demodule of so as to obtain the information which can be reproduced in the ear from the user via speaker 101. At the same time, the lyrics spoken by the user of the headset 101 are picked up, in the form of vibrations, by the accelerometer 112. Information corresponding to these words are then modulated and transmitted to the device 103 which transmits them in turn on the telephone 102 which will send them to the remote party. A full duplex link is thus established between two interlocutors, one of whom at less uses the headset 101. The contact who uses a headset according to the invention does not need to have its mobile phone 102 in hand.

Indeed, if the user of the headset 101 wishes to make a call to a number, there exist in the state of the art means of voice recognition to dial this number by through the device 101. For example, the user of the headset 101 utters a key word: call; the phone then knows that the sounds that are going follow correspond either to a number to call or to the name of a person contained in the memory of the mobile phone so whose phone mobile is able to find and dial the number. In the case of a incoming call there are automatic answer systems that exempt the user of the headset from having to intervene on the telephone 102 mobile. Likewise at the end of communication, the mobile phone is capable hang up on your own.

Figure 2 shows the means used by the headset 101 to sound acquisition and restitution. Figure 2 shows the sensor 112 which is connected to an ASIC 201. An ASIC is a specialized circuit, the initials mean Application Specific Integrated Circuit or Integrated Circuit Application Specializing. In practice, these are circuits which are designed to meet a specific need for an application. Their interest is that they are space-saving, but their main disadvantage is that they do not know do nothing other than what they were designed for. This is the solution that has was retained in this case because there is very little room for integrate the means we need. Figure 2 shows four inputs or ASIC 201 outputs. Input II is connected to the accelerometer 112. A output III is connected to a speaker 111. An input-output I is connected to an antenna 202. This antenna 202 is the member which allows transmit and receive radio information exchanged between the headset 101 and the telephone 102. In practice, the antenna 202 can be located on the outer surface of branch 108. Figure 2 also shows an oscillator 203 connected to an input IV of ASIC 201.

The oscillator 203 is used on the one hand to clock the activity of the ASIC 201, but also to the modulation and demodulation of the signals received by the antenna 202.

Figure 3 shows a detail of the functionalities realized by ASIC 201. The following description presents the ASIC as a set of blocks functional. In practice, all of these blocks are combined into one same integrated circuit. Figure 3 shows that the input-output I of ASIC 201 is connected to a duplexer 302 which is itself connected to a demodulator 303 and to a modulator 304. The signals which are received by antenna 202 are therefore transmitted to the duplexer which in turn transmits them to the demodulator 303. Demodulator 303 is also connected to a bus 305. The demodulator 303 therefore produces digital data corresponding to the information received by the antenna 202. These data digital devices are placed on the 305 bus and made available to a microprocessor 306. The microprocessor 306 then processes this information, under the control of a program contained in a memory 307 and transmits this information processed by a vocoder 308 always by the bus 305. The elements 306 to 308 are connected to bus 305. The output of vocoder 308 corresponds to output 3III of ASIC 201. This is the information from vocoder which are transmitted to speaker 111 and transformed into sound received by an ear of the user of the headset 101.

On the other hand, entry III of ASIC 201 corresponds to the entry of a analog to digital converter 309. Converter 309 is connected to bus 305 which allows microprocessor 306 to read information numerical outputs produced by the 309 converter from the information analog signals transmitted by the accelerometer 112. The information produced by the converter 309 are then read by the microprocessor 306 under the control of a program contained in memory 307 then transmitted by bus 305 to modulator 304. Modulator 304 modulates this information then transmits them to the duplexer 302 which will send them to the antenna 202. This information is then received by the telephone 102.

Figure 3 also shows that ASIC 201 has an input-output V which is a port 310 which interfaces with a connector. Port 310 is him also connected to bus 305.

FIG. 4 illustrates the means that the telephone 102 needs to ability to establish communication with headset 101. The means described by FIG. 4 can either be contained in the mobile telephone 102, or be contained in the device 103. In the above description, we have considered that these means were contained in the telephone 102. We now considers that these means are contained in the device 103. Figure 4 shows an antenna 401 connected to an ASIC 402 by a input I. Figure 4 also shows that ASIC 402 is connected to a oscillator 403 by an IV input and a port 404 by an input-output V. ASIC 402 is identical to ASIC 201 except that all of its features are not used. ASIC 402 does not use the vocoder and analog to digital converter. Indeed, the device 103 neither needs to make sound acquisitions nor to reproduce sounds. The device 103 is only responsible for the dialogue between the headset 101 and the mobile phone 102. Thus the device 103 receives through port 404, from the of the mobile phone to which it is connected by link 104 of voice information corresponding to the information that the mobile phone 102 received via link 106. ASIC 402 can then modulate this information and transmit it to antenna 401 which will transmit to antenna 202.

On the other hand, the antenna 401 will receive the information transmitted by antenna 202. This information will be demodulated by ASIC 402 then sent to port 404 to be made available to the mobile phone 102. Mobile phone 102 will transmit this information via the link 106.

In practice, ASICs 201 and 402 can be identical. However, when used in device 103, all I / O ASIC 402 will not be connected. In fact, we just need, in the device 103 of the input-output I, IV and V. The fact of using the even ASIC is interesting, since it reduces development costs and production. Indeed, by producing in greater number the same product, we achieve economies of scale. However, it is quite possible to use two different ASICs for the headset 101 and the device 103. In this case, ASIC 402 would have neither vocoder nor analog to digital converter. Likewise, ASIC 201 would not include no port.

In the case where the means described in Figure 2 would be directly included in mobile phone 102, ASIC 201 would no longer need from port 310, since ASIC 201 could read information directly received by mobile phone 202 via connection 106 on bus 305 which would then be part of mobile phone 102.

In practice, the connection between the device 103 and the headset are established either at the frequency of 2.45 GHz, or at the frequency of 5.80 GHz. To establish itself, it requires a 5 kHz band. In addition, the scope mission is very low, about 1.5 m that is to say from mW to 0.5 mW. This has nothing to compare with the power of the 102 mobile phone which is roughly 1 W. The goal of decreasing the brain's exposure to the user with electromagnetic waves is therefore well reached.

The short range of the transmitters of the headset 101 or of the device 103, limits the risk of interference with other devices in the same type. However, for greater safety, there is a device of the type 103 with a 101 type headset. Thus in communications they exchange, there are identifiers of the sender of the message as well as recipient. I.e. a 101 type headset knows when a message is addressed to her and knows to whom she should address these messages, so it is even for a type 103 device.

The means used by the telephone 102 to communicate with the device 103, for example, via port 404 have not been described. In effect these are similar means to those implemented by the same mobile phone 102 when used as a modem and connected through its port 114 to a computer for example.

The figures do not show the power supply of the headset 101 and the housing 103. It is devices are however equipped and power supplies have not been shown for the sake of clarity.

Claims (7)

1. Ear-piece device (101) for picking up and reproducing deported sound, the device being autonomous and able to be fixed to an ear of a user of the device and including a retaining arm (108) and an ear-plug (110) and including means (201 - 203) for transmitting and receiving radioelectrically data corresponding to audible information, the arm being retained between the skull and the auricle of an ear and the ear-plug and the retaining arm being in elastic mechanical connection (109), the ear-plug including a loud-speaker (111), characterised by the fact that:

   the arm includes means (112, 113) for picking up voice signals propagated through a mastoid of the user,

   the arm includes an accelerometer (112) in elastic connection with the arm,

   the ear-plug is placed in the external auditory canal.
2. Device as described in claim 1, characterised by the fact that the plug and the arm are electrically connected.
3. Device as described in one of claims 1 or 2, characterised by the fact that the retaining arm is fixed to one ear of a user and that the ear-plug is in the other ear of the user.
4. Device as described in one of claims 1 to 3, characterised by the fact that the accelerometer is in contact with a mastoid of the user on whose ear the device is fixed.
5. Device as described in one of claims 1 to 4, characterised by the fact that the arm includes the radioelectric transceiver means, these means include a specialised circuit (201), an antenna (202) and an oscillator (203).
6. Use of a device as described in one of claims 1 to 5, characterised by the fact that the device establishes a connection with a transceiver unit (103) connected (105) in Hertzian manner to the ear-piece device and in wired manner (104) to a mobile telephone (102).
7. Use of a device of claims 1 to 6, characterised by the fact that the device establishes a connection with a mobile telephone which includes means (401 - 404) of being connected in Hertzian manner to the ear-piece device.

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